God has a purpose for every person, but it doesn’t just automatically come to pass. Fate, or sovereignty, doesn’t make it happen. If you believed that, you would have to credit God with all the rapes and murders and terrible things that happen. To know God’s purpose for my life, I had to seek to find. I had to ask to receive. I had to knock before it would be opened unto me (Matt. 7:7).
After I graduated from high school, I went to college. I still didn’t know my purpose, but I was really seeking the Lord and studying the Word. I was at a church function over the Christmas holidays in 1967, and during his devotion, a man read Romans 12:1–2:
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
The Power of Intentionality
The last part of that passage jumped out at me. This is what I had been seeking, praying, and searching the Word for. God is there to reveal His will to you, but you have to approach Him and initiate the process. You have to become a living sacrifice and be transformed by the renewing of your mind to manifest to your physical senses the good, the acceptable, and the perfect will of God.
For the next four months, I studied these verses in Romans. On March 23, 1968, I was in a prayer meeting, and God showed up and revolutionised my life. He knocked self-righteousness out of me. My life changed radically after this experience as I began to understand grace. And it all goes back to the fact that, for a year and a half, I had been praying and seeking to know God’s will. And for four months prior to that, I had been focused on Romans 12:1–2 and trying to fulfill the requirements listed there.
This powerful encounter I had with the Lord happened because I wanted to know God’s will for my life.
Your Turn to Seek
Many of you are in the same situation I was in—you know there’s got to be more to life than what you’re experiencing. You have to initiate seeking God’s will, and you have to persevere past any obstacles. Jeremiah 29:11 says:
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
This passage is familiar to many people, but seldom do we put it in context. The next verses, Jeremiah 29:12–13, say:
Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
To know God’s purpose for you, you’ve got to get to a place where you say, “God, I’m not moving. I’m not doing anything else. I’m not wasting any more time until I find out what Your will is.” You’ve got to be intent on it, because as long as you can live without knowing God’s will for your life, you will. You have to reach this place where you search with all your heart, and that’s when God reveals Himself to you.
It's Never Too LateThese experiences I’ve shared happened when I was young, but I guarantee it’s never too late for you to seek God’s will for your life. You can end up meandering through life, allowing obstacles you encounter to determine what direction you take, but it doesn’t have to be that way. God wants you to experience the satisfaction of a life well lived.
Step Out of Your Comfort Zone
It can feel a little threatening to get out of a routine and do something new, especially if you’ve been doing the same thing for a long time. But you have to be willing to get out of your comfort zone in order to find God’s purpose for your life. And I promise you, knowing the joy of being in the centre of God’s will makes it all worthwhile.
Next Steps
I have a book entitled How to Find, Follow, Fulfill God’s Will that goes into much greater detail, and I really believe it’ll help you get from where you are now to where you need to be. I also have some companion products that explore each aspect of this teaching—finding, following, and fulfilling—in greater depth. These are available in various formats, including CDs, DVDs, books, study guides, and e-books. To order, call our UK Helpline at +44(0)1922 473 300, go to awme.net/find.
We love you,
Andrew and Jamie